Useful Idiot

Not just me as an individual. But from the collective fan base that's long been promised today's sacrifices will yield a brighter tomorrow. Recall at the beginning of last season even Al Avila made the pronouncement that "now is the time", which if nothing else reveals that the organization is cognizant of fan expectations, or even a sense of urgency. Without tangible results, the organization suffers a credibility crisis.....unless you can subscribe fan sympathy with a stall tactic. Which answers your question

LOL, they could move Schoop over to third, Baez at 2nd, Sign Correa, Judge, and Verlander...and I'd be saying "Harris, you the stud!" I still don't think Meadows is gonna fly, so they might have to go hunting there.

Do you believe I am being unreasonable expecting .500 this coming season? Because .500 was what I was expecting for 2022, and my intention to not amend is basically framed in a "I'm not conceding expectations over organizational malaise" point of reference. Perhaps I give these guys credit for being smarter than they actually are, but I see the firing of Avila as just a ploy by Chris to buy time

Hey, if it make you guys feel like "superior fans" being all rosey and such...more power to you. But, don't expect to sway me with accusations that I (evidently) must be damaged for failure to share YOUR perspectives. I've never been a sunshinner, I am a realist....

I've laid out benchmarks that I am willing to recognize as "success". They are attainable. SO in my estimation I've put forth a balanced frame work. But again, if he brings in "never has beens" to replace the recently departed, well..."strike one"

I really hope you enjoy the sky boxes at Comerica that Mr Harris is no doubt awarding you for defending his honor this way. I just have different objectives and priorities.

Such a move would quench completely my "lapdog" concerns. 😇

Oh, you mean like we've been doing the past 5 years? Buying more time to deliver (extending the time line) by throwing Avila under the bus and replacing him with a fresh face, doesn't really cultivate patience in my part Complete sincerity here. We've been fed that promise for a while now. Perhaps you are familiar with the old expression "fool me once....." etc?

It's watching what little progress we've made take a backslide that has me ornerated. And while I think that call is being made from above Harris' head, HE IS THE FRONT MAN. So he gets the prize. I still feel like Castellanos should be a part of this team, but was discarded because of his contract status (that "5 is an evil number" thing) And, I see the recent priority with jettisoning players because they are approaching service time thresholds, as just a continuation of that mentality. SO it's not like the new broom is sweeping clean. Here's the new boss, same as the old boss" etc etc Let him insert accomplished talent in place of these recent discards, and I'll reconsider. But the onus of proof is on the organization. I feel no obligation to be patient.

It's going to play out here, in short order. If he replaces Candy, Reyes, and the Castros with clear and obvious upgrades, then my concerns are unfounded. But, if he brings in 4A candidates whose main qualifications are that they are yet unproven, then I turn up the criticism another notch. Easy Peasy! 😋

Your attempt to guilt peddle me for daring to voice my sincere concerns, (the "damaged" quip) just doesn't solicit feelings of cooperation on my part. I guess I am just strange that way.

Deal with it.

Let's see him go out and sign Aaron Judge to fulfill his "right hand hitting outfielder" priority. That would be an extremely un-lapdoggy, presidential-like move he could make.

You think anyone would have to actually enumerate to convey that this is a troubled organization? The quote marks I used were rhetoric

I always interpreted those claimed devotions to athleticism as just a veiled excuse to part ways with older and unlean veterans? It was a way to say "we want young and dumb" without having to be blunt.

AJ had a little image rehabilitation involved in the mix, as I recall. Might want to wait for the other shoe to hit the floor on that one, IMO

Well, don't you see? He worked within limitations of a moribund organization. That demonstrates "craft" "Yeah, I've been president once; but didn't have available resources"...that sort of thing

I believe anyone actually paying attention, learns to recognize certain hard, or unpleasant truths. You learn to recognize that the only reason the Ronny Rodriguezes, Christian Stewarts, and Brandon Dixons of the world are on your team's roster is because the teams have a contractual obligation with the league to put however many players into a stadium, on game night. And those players have a reasonable probability of actually catching a ball hit near them, without too much embarrassment. Over time as one sees those "place holder" type players replaced with guys who might actually surprise you and hit the baseball once in a while,... you start to gain encouragement. I believe in software development the process is known as "stepwise refinement" But then to see those incremental improvements cast to the wind just because the number 5 is evil.....you start to realize the fans are just being played. That's where I feel we are today. Clearly Harris MUST make some changes, there is no question there. But, lets keep a close eye on whether those changes are the best possible improvement he could make, or is he simply extending the timeline by bringing in as-yet-unproven placeholders? Their greatest value being they are unknown qualities. Gee, he claims there is a priority to bring a right handed hitter into our outfield mix, and there is at least one acceptable right hand hitting outfielder available for signing...lets see if our new wonderkind can pull it off? 😕 .500 in 2023, division by 2025, league championship by 2027.....that's what I consider to be success. If he's still farting around 5 years from now pretending that a wildcard slot is within reach, that IMO is failure.

As a come uppance, It's a great opportunity to pad his resume.

See? What I think that Ilitch believes, is that a "smart" team president is gonna win him a trophy with a team payroll less than the league average. And when Avila failed to deliver that, replace him. When Harris fails to do that, "well, I guess he wasn't very smart either"...rinse...lather...repeat etc All the while the fans are lead along like stooges, being relentlessly promised that with each new iteration, we are turning the corner.

How long did it take for Dombrowski to get to the world series with the Marlins? With the Tigers? With the Red Sox? With the Phillies? How much slack do we "owe" Harris? If he's still here in 6 years promising we are "right on the cusp" of contending, is it okay to call him a failure then? BECAUSE I SINCERELY BELIEVE that he's gonna be hamstrung by Chris's obsession in being "the next KC Royals" such that our payroll isn't gonna even sniff $200 million/year again in my lifetime I think Chris sees himself as "the smart little pig" who is (somehow) gonna win a WS on a shoestring

I'm not crystal clear what you are referring to by "that".......but I'm assuming you mean serving in a subordinate role? Let's see what kind of leadership Mr Harris displays between now and opening day. He's got replacements to make for Harold Castro, Victor Reyes, and Candalerio.......lets see if his priorities go for "proven production", or for "cheap and controllable". My guess is he will go for the latter, like the obedient lap dog Mr I wants him to be. Let him prove me wrong.

That's fine. You're entitled to as much optimism as you can stomach. When he starts adding talent of sufficient caliber that gives me no alternative than to re-evaluate, I might even jump up on the bandwagon with you. But, for however long it appears that "cheap and controllable" is the organization's guiding light, I'm gonna be cynical. My suspicion is that Harris hopes the merely shuffling the deck will get us close enough to .500 that he can take a bow, without spending too much pizza money.

I think you are making an abridged assessment. What I have is acute skepticism for the will to win of this organization, that began with the salary dump disguised as a rebuild. Harris has simply assumed the helm. The lies, if that ends up proving to be the case, are the organizations, Harris has just become the front man. Let him prove me wrong. But, so long as he's sputtering this gibberish, he's looking like pretty much the same as the old boss